Nut and bolt lock for rail-joints.



J. B. SPROUL & B. B. BARCLAY.

NUT AND BOLT LOCK FOR RAIL JOINTS. APPLICkTlON FILED JUNE 28. i917- 1,252,963, Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

ilNiTlil BTATFE ATENE JAMES B. SPBOUL AND BENJAMIN IB. BARCLAY, OF PIEDMONT, OI-IIG.

NUT AND BOLT LOOK FOR BAIL-JOINTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1918.

Application filed June 28, 1917. Seria11 1'o. 177,584.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Janus B. SrnoUL and BENJAMIN B. BARCLAY. citizens of the United States, residing at Piedmont, in the county of Harrison, State of Ohio, respectively, have invented a new and useful Nut and Bolt Lock for Rail-Joints; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rail joints, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby the usual splice bars may be employed to hold the rail ends against both vertical and lateral displacement relative to each other, although the nuts and bolts are securely locked against rotation so that there is no danger of their working loose under the action of the vibration caused by the passage of the rolling stock over the joint.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which does not materially increase the cost of the rail joint, which provides for expansion and contraction of the rails, which prevents buckling, and which enables the rail ends to be quickly separated at any time.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being p0inted out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and acompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan view of a rail joint constructed in accordance with the invention, portions being broken away and shown in section, said section being taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a rail joint constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the numerals 1 designate the abutting ends of a pair of-rails which have the conventional cross section, said rails being provided with the usual bolt receiving openings 2, and also with longitudinal slots 3. The openings 2 are elongated to provide for expansion and contraction of the rails, a sufficient space be ing initially provided between the rail ends so that the rails can expand under changes of temperature without danger of buckling. Splice bars d and 5 are fitted against opposite sides of the rail ends and arranged in the fishing spaces thereof. Bolts 6 extend through the openings 2 of the rails and engage the splice bars to hold them firmly in operative position. These bolts are provided adjacent the heads thereof with en larged polygonal portions 6 which are received within correspondingly shaped openings in the splice bar t, thereby locking the bolts against rotation when they are in position. The threaded ends of the bolts are engaged by nuts 7 which are adapted to be screwed down and tightened against the opposite splice bar 5, thereby locking the two splice bars rigidly in position so that the rail ends will be held securely against vertical and lateral displacement relative to each other. A nut locking plate 8 is fitted against the splice bar 5, said plate being formed with polygonal openings 9 which are adapted to receive and interlock with the nuts 7, thereby preventing the nuts from working loose as long as the plate is in position. The two splice bars 4: and 5 and nut locking plate 8 are formed with longitudinal slots 10 which register with the slots 3 of the rails, and keys 11 are inserted through these slots, said keys being provided at their extremities with laterally projecting heads 12 which are adapted to be turned into registry with the slots when inserting the keys into position or removing them therefrom, and subsequently swung downwardly in a position at right angles to the slots, in which position they engage the sides of the outer surfaces of the plates and serve to hold the nut locking plate 8 in operative position. The action of gravity will tend to swing the heads downwardly into a vertical position and will prevent them from being swung upwardly into registry with the slots under the vibration of the rails. These keys 11 can, however, be very, quickly removed, after which the nut looking plate 8 will drop out of position and the nuts 7 can be unscrewed without difficulty.

Havingthus described the invention, what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the abutting ends of a pair of rails, each having a longitudinal slot in the end thereof, of splice bars fitted against the sides of the rail ends, bolts extending through the splice bars and interlocking with one of the splice bars, nuts threaded upon the bolts and engaging the opposite splice bar, a nut locking plate fitted against the said opposite splice bar and engaging the nuts-t0 prevent rotation thereof said splice bars and nut locking plate being formed with longitudinal slots registering with the slots in the rail ends,

and keys inserted through the said slots and provided at their extremities with laterally projecting heads which are turned into registry with the slots when inserting the keys into position and subsequently turned downwardly at right angles thereto to engage the outer surfaces of the plates and hold the nut locking plate in position.

'2. The combination with the abutting ends of a pair of rail ends, each having a longitudinal slot therein, of splice bars fitted against the ides of the rail ends, one of which is provided with polygonal openings, bolts extending through the rail ends and splice bars and provided at the heads thereof with polygonal portions received within the said polygonal openings of one of the splice bars, nuts threaded upon' the bolts and engaging the opposite splice bar, a nut locking plate fitted against the said opposite splice bar and formed with polygonal openings recelving the nuts, said nut locking plate and splice bars being formed with longitudinal slots registering with the slots in the rail ends, and keys inserted through the slots and provided at the extremities thereof with laterally projecting heads adapted to be turned into registry with the slots when inserting the keys into position, and subsmpiently turned downwardly into a position at right angles to the slot to engage I the outer surfaces of the plates and hold the nut locking plate in position.

JAMES B. SPROUL. BENJAMIN B. BARCLAY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

